2011 Rise kites - massive wind range, huge hang time2011 Razor kites - insane boost, grunt and low end - incredible turning speed and direct pull2011 Mako boards - smooth operator, deepest concave on the market - now with a wood core! 2011 JT Pro - 2/3 the thickness of the 2010 Zen the JT pro offers insane load and pop while handling the chop beautifully with its wood core flex. our best freestyle board yet and less expensive than last year’s Zen!2011 5’11” Surf Series - Designed with input taken from over a year and a half of custom board builds for our Crew this board is a dream in the waves.

My personal set up is going to be the 2011 Rise 8m and 10m with the freeride barand a Mako 140

My opinions after a few more sessions on the Razor, finally in some decent wind:

Rated 1 to 10, with 10 best:

Upwind: Rise: 10Razor: 9

(The Rise might be the best upwind kite on the market. The Razor is great when powered, when on the edge of light/no kite I think the Rise is more efficient at holding apparent wind. With the Rise if you can fly the kite you can go upwind, with the Razor you need a bit more ideal conditions, when fully powered they both scream upwind.)

Jumping - (height and hang time combined):Rise: 10Razor: 9

(The Rise isn't called the Rise for nothing, best jumping kite I have ever tried, by far, height and hang time. The Razor can get you up really high if you time it right but I don't think it jumps quite as well as the Rise. For sure not as much hang time. I think the Razor is a bit trickier to time as well, you have to time your edge pop with the jump a bit better. They both sky though)

Looping:Rise: 8Razor: 10

(The Rise 2010 looped really really well for an SLE, but the Razor is Insane. The Rise almost seemed to have more power going into the first 1/2 of the loop and then lost power coming out of the loop, the Razor is the opposite I think, you can pull some really great kiteloops without as much fear because the initial 1/2 of the loop is very very smooth, just make sure you are pointing downwind coming out of the loop because the Razor has a lot of power coming out of moves.)

Turning:Rise: 9.5Razor: 10

(The 2010 Rise turns SO well for an SLE, stable, quick, responsive, smooth. That said, the Razor seems even a bit tighter, and you come out of quick turns with a bit more power on the Razor).

ReLaunch:Rise: 7.5 (2010) Rise: 2011 (I hear is much improved with the bridle tweak)Razor: 10 (I hear the new Rise relaunches just as easily as the new Razor. The 2011 Razor just pops back off the water, it is awesome!)

Unhooked:Rise: 7Razor: 9.5(SLE Kites not as good as 'C' kites, the Razor seems more predictable, easier... with the Rise if you rode around unhooked for a while you got scared, with the Razor I was riding around for 40 seconds at a time unhooked, in both directions, feeling completely in control)

Range:Rise: 10.5 Razor:8(The RISE has incredible range, I can fly my 10 from 16 to 30 mph, with the sweet spot being 18-23. With the Razor the sweet spot and range is a bit compacted, probably 16-20 as the sweet spot and getting overpowered at 23. Note the low end of the Razor is a bit higher.)

The Razor is a bit more of an advanced kite I would say. It takes an experienced rider to appreciate it's subtle beauty If you are not yet trying S-Bends and Kiteloops or Handlepasses then you should probably get the Rise as you can take the Rise from beginner right up to advanced. If you throw an occasional small loop on a turn or small jump the Rise is you kite. If you are starting to pull loops on every move and thinking about moving from freeride to freestyle. or you are a 'C' rider and already into freestyle but looking for better performance then go with the Razor.

I caught the 10m in action with my gopro helmet mount this last thursday at my local spot.2 other riders were out when I showed up, Andy was flying a 13m cab and that other dude was flying a 14m north.It actually was a great feeling to be on the smallest kite (the mako king helped with this), and I was able to easily point upwindand sail to Boeing creek a mile or so upwind. I was hoping the winds were steadier up there, but the gust and lulls were just bigger.The Razor is much more attentive on the downwind leg than my Rise, everytime I sine'd it, it really pulled quick and hard.No waves in puget sound, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this kite will perform beautifully in the surf.I'm getting a feel for the top end too, some of the gusts at the creek felt like 25-30, and thats close to the limit of my comfort zone with this big board. (I weigh 210lbs)This kite de-powers only so much, you need to use the board to control the power...kind of like a C kite.The rewards are a some sweet jumps and lots of power when you need it in a tough kite that is quick because of its size.I am really stoked about how the new Razor de-powers during a self launch deep in the window too.I thought for a second I was going for a drag when the bar ripped out of my hands,but the traction spike leveled off instantly and the kite was super stable off the front lines.Very curious about the 12m's low end...its calling to me and I'm not sure I can resist that siren song.

Have taken delivery of my new Ocean Rodeo kiting gear. Excellent quality as expected from this company. Looking forward to getting on the water with my new Surf Series board and 8m Razor. The Pyro is also the mutts nuts!

Have taken delivery of my new Ocean Rodeo kiting gear. Excellent quality as expected from this company. Looking forward to getting on the water with my new Surf Series board and 8m Razor. The Pyro is also the mutts nuts!

whats your line up now Andy?

I now have 6&9 2010 Rises plus an 09 12m rise for light wind plus my two litewave boards (133&169) a pyro pro and a couple of wetsuits. The 9 is an awesome kite, it nearly covers me as low as the 12 and if I use the big board I think it probably does! So glad I sold off my 8 and 10 to buy it that 9 rocks!

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